Everything Everywhere All At Once

[Sebastian Cobb]

I think I liked this but will have to watch again I think, the perils of forcing yourself to see something in the cinema when you're tired before the run ends. If you're tired it feels like sensory overload but I reckon it was good.

[Blinder Data]

I went into this knowing little which was a blessing. i mostly loved it. not seen anything like it, really. could've been a bit shorter but there weren't any specific parts that dragged. as a whole it's a wonderful experience.

I'm so glad it didn't become a Jackie Chan film. the three main performances are great -  Jamie Lee Curtis was amusing but by not playing it straighter she stands out in a negative sense.

the fight scene with the bum bag was incredible. the film brims with ideas and feelings. anyone who doesn't love this film is an A-HOLE

[Sonny_Jim]

Everyone I know likes this movie, it's only dickhead contrarists who can't enjoy at least something in it.  I'm more than willing to ignore it's tiny flaws to enjoy some of the batshittedness of parts of it.

the fight scene with the bum bag was incredible

Who knew that Data from the Goonies would turn out to be a kung fu bad ass?

_{Me, because I watched Breathing Fire recently after it was featured on the 'No such thing as a bad movie' Podcast.}

[nw83]

Got to say, I agree with Peter Bradshaw overall. Although I'd rate it a bit higher, as the wrestling references, sausage fingers, and the rocks scene were great, and you've got to appreciate the immense attention to detail. It's definitely original by most reasonable definitions of the word - yes, the best bits were like a Simpson's 'Treehouse of Horror' episode (never my favourites), and the worst bits very Marvel, with wearying fight scene after wearying fight scene (but someone had a dildo up his butt) - but c'mon.

Weirdly I liked the first 20 minutes the most - the visual invention seemed most evident when it was journeying through everyday scenarios, a mirror becoming a window etc. Michelle Yeoh sounded a bit weird though - speaking broken English, missing out articles etc, but using her usual posh accent.

I realise the perils of criticising a film for not being what you expected (how dare they not do what I wanted!), but I was expecting a somewhat emotional experience, so a cliched - although genuinely common and accurate, no doubt - difficult grandpa-mother-daughter dynamic, being resolved with kindness, was a bit underwhelming after 140 minutes.

The subject of unlived lives is emotional - the roads you could've taken, the dreams given up, etc. She wanted to be a singer - what did she used to sing? Who did she idolise? When/why did she give it up? How does it feel to learn she is a famous singer after all (in a parallel universe)? I thought that kind of thing could've been mined a bit more. Instead much of it just seemed to be - 'in this universe, you can do cool kung-fu tricks - kick that lady's ass! - here, you're an actress and you starred in a film called Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon' (get it, wink wink).
[Not long ago, I went to an art gallery in Hong Kong and saw a video installation where people talked about what they'd wanted to be when they were a child, and then dressed-up and acted as that person while doing their soul-destroying day job, so you had, for example, scenes of a woman dressed as a ballerina working in a grim light-bulb factory in Shenzhen - strange, but had me welling up - I guess most things that indirectly reminded me of that would fall short).

I'm sure if the humour or action is more your bag, the journey is worthwhile though.

Anyone ever seen Memories Of Matsuko? Love that film.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I saw this last week. I was to lazy to post about it until now, so it's not fresh in my mind, but I certainly remember having an absolute blast with it. My enjoyment was enhanced by seeing it with the biggest, most enthusiastic audience I've been in for a long while (risky, perhaps, but if I'm going to catch covid, it might as well be for something as good as this).

Ke Huy Quan was as good as everyone says, but he was matched by the rest of the cast. I honestly think I could have happily watched them just sorting out the taxes.

I would agree that some of the gags were very LOLrandom. Sure, the sausage fingers had a payoff, but it's pretty thin. Whatever symbolism there was to it, I reckon the visual came first and they just contrived an excuse for it later. Fortunately, I am a peurile berk and I laughed my tits of at all of that stuff.

On a related note: is sticking things up the bum supposed to give everyone martial arts skills, or was it just an odd coincidence that it worked for those two blokes? Evelyn's trigger was different, so presumably the latter.

I didn't realise the daughter was actually supposed to have an eating disorder (possibly because I was having rum thoughts about Stephanie Hsu). I thought Evelyn was just being mean and that the bagel was a play on an Everything Bagel and the theory that the universe is toroidal.

It gives a heck of a lot of bang for it's buck, but the promise of a whole multiverse does make the fact that we spend most of the film in an office building very noticeable. Then again, Doctor Strange 2 probably cost ten time as much and still squandered the concept.

[olliebean]

Oh, for all my misgivings, it was certainly miles better than Doctor Strange 2.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I enjoyed both, but this is the better of the two. Certainly more coherent.

If you want more from the Daniels and Hsu, check out whichever episode of Nora From Queens this is (cartoon: naughty language)

[Mister Six]

the theory that the universe is toroidal.

Fuck me, I read that in an Iain Banks book (Excession, I think) and thought it was just a thing he made up. No idea that it was a real theory!

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

I heard about it via The Simpsons, so I could well be talking cobblers.

[phantom_power]

This is on Amazon Prime now if anyone hasn't seen it yet

[shoulders]

This is on Amazon Prime now if anyone hasn't seen it yet

I didn't need this alert but you are a good sort to post it. I was due to do the same.

This was an amazing, restorative piece of cinema that is exactly what should be being made in the present day.

I became hopeful it wasn't just going to be one of those action comedies with lots of mugging to camera and slamming into things, and by halfway it decided to be so, so much more than that.

It feels good to be alive and to have seen that piece of art. Bold, generational, awesomeness.

[imitationleather]

Pleased to hear you enjoyed it.

I might actually give it a rewatch. Which is something I basically never, ever do with films anymore.

[purlieu]

Saw this at the weekend. It was very good. That is all. Bye.

[The Mollusk]

Sorry but this piece of art and its messages of love and kindness have failed to change the world one iota and I have concluded this solely by way of my own bastard cynicism and so any merit owed to its rampant and wildly engaging creativity and emotional energy is therefore redundant. It has now been incinerated.

[phantom_power]

Sorry but this piece of art and its messages of love and kindness have failed to change the world one iota and I have concluded this solely by way of my own bastard cynicism and so any merit owed to its rampant and wildly engaging creativity and emotional energy is therefore redundant. It has now been incinerated.

I am afraid that is a problem with the world in general rather than this magnificent film. As such the world will be rebooted in due course

[Lord Mandrake]

I was physically and emotionally exhausted by this but it was worth it. Not much else to say that hasn't been mentioned, not seen anything like it really although it reminded me of seeing Being John Malkovich and to a lesser extent Eternal sunshine in the cinema for the first time but the level of detail and inventiveness is off the charts.

Just maybe trim some of those slo mo reaction shots a bit, 5 - 10 minutes fewer and it's perfection.

[imitationleather]

I'd like them to make another film that's totally different but exactly as good and for it to come out next week.

Is that too much to ask?

[zomgmouse]

I'd like them to make another film that's totally different but exactly as good and for it to come out next week.

Is that too much to ask?

Possibly not but apparently there's already an "extended cut" coming out with 8 minutes of extra footage?

[Old Nehamkin]

As much of a kick as I got out of large portions of this, it's pretty much the archetypal "outstayed its welcome" film for me and it makes me shudder a little to imagine where they could possibly find room for another 8 minutes.

[imitationleather]

Possibly not but apparently there's already an "extended cut" coming out with 8 minutes of extra footage?

That better be eight minutes of bum stuff.

[Sonny_Jim]

Extended floppy fingers edit.

[Old Nehamkin]

Mundane piece of information I want to unburden myself of - every time I read the title of this film I automatically hear Rik Mayall in Mr. Jolly Lives Next Door saying "never, ever, bloody anything, ever".

[Tokyo van Ramming]

Possibly not but apparently there's already an "extended cut" coming out with 8 minutes of extra footage?

If it's the same extended cut that I saw in the cinema recently, the film hasn't been changed at all. There's an intro by Daniels and a blooper reel after the end credits.

[imitationleather]

If Glinner watches it again he'll think there's 48 minutes of extra footage.

[Catalogue Trousers]

Glinner

GLINNER

GGGGGGGGGGGLLLLLLLLIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

[zomgmouse]

If it's the same extended cut that I saw in the cinema recently, the film hasn't been changed at all. There's an intro by Daniels and a blooper reel after the end credits.

Bit of false advertising then?

[Tokyo van Ramming]

Bit of false advertising then?

It is longer as a result, so technically extended but not in the way I'd anticipated. I won't be suing but will do some research before going to see another "extended cut".

[zomgmouse]

It is longer as a result, so technically extended but not in the way I'd anticipated. I won't be suing but will do some research before going to see another "extended cut".

That's unfortunate - the cinema listing I saw did mention the pre-recorded intro but then just said "extra footage". Probably wouldn't go anyway, but still.

[MojoJojo]

On a related note: is sticking things up the bum supposed to give everyone martial arts skills, or was it just an odd coincidence that it worked for those two blokes? Evelyn's trigger was different, so presumably the latter.

That bothered me a bit - that and they had to keep them stuck up their bum to remain connected.

I don't really buy the bagel is linked to Joy's (potential) issues with food-
1) Bagel's, while reasonably calorific, aren't really something people struggle to give up. A donut would make more sense if that's what they were going for.
2) It's not Evelyn's Joy, it's all the Joy's. She doesn't particularly know the Evelyn we follow, so it doesn't make sense that she'd have some any particular issue with weight.

Overall, yeah good but a bit too long. Easy to see why, as a lot of the scenes that don't really go anywhere are a lot of fun. The whole defeating people by giving them what they want bit didn't really lead anywhere, and wasn't that great, but if you don't have that you just have Evelyn beat everyone up which doesn't seem right.

[Mister Six]

The giving them what they want thing is in line with the themes of the film, which is that denying your own desires and being ashamed of yourself is a spiritual poison, that hurting others only leads to more bitterness and hurt being passed along, and that embracing yourself and your fellow man with compassion and forgiveness is the only way forward for humanity.